Thank you, they are neat little pets, they take more work than the pet stores pretend they do, but when you do it right they are much more rewarding than when you do it wrong (as far as activity and life span). They each are so different from each other, from food preference and climbing preference to how they react to me and what they do when picked up. They have different activity and destruction levels (Titan ripped the humidity gauge off the wall) and some love to dig. they are really fun to watch, they are technically nocturnal but mine are quite active during the day.

Hester
Desert Tortoise
She was hit by a car and brought to my workplace. She had some shell damage, which was repaired. Once a tortoise is cared for in captivity you aren't allowed to release them, lest they introduce disease to the wild population. So, she has to stay as a pet.

Corraline
Not so Wee Kitty
We acquired her as a wee little 5 week old kitten. She was a not so nice little kitten, but thankfully she matured into a very nice cat

Del
Cute Cat
Del was brought to the vet clinic I worked at in IL by a family who found her wandering in their backyard. She was friendly and declawed, so they assumed someone would be looking for her, so they had her scanned for a chip (she didn't have one) and advertised heavily (no one answered). I fell in love with her when they brought her in for a check up. She came home with me shortly after

Abner
Persian
Abs was brought into the clinic I work at by someone who said they'd found him a month before. He was neutered and declawed, but no one answered their ads. They let him get matted and then tried to scissor the mats out, ending up cutting him. They ended up signing him over, as he needed medical care. He was brought in matted with a dead roach stuck in his coat I had wanted a Persian for 8 years and adopted him on the spot (though we did first scan him for a chip, just in case) He's my sweet, squishy boy and is a funny guy.

Nicki
cute wee black cat
Nicki was the lad's cat long before he met me. She decided I'd do, though While she's still definitely "his cat" in her mind, she doesn't mind lovins from me or using me as a pillow

Casbah
Timneh African Grey
Caz is my devil bird. I've had him for around 11 years. He loves to bite and gets great joy out of it He's really smart, he just likes seeing the reaction when he carefully lashes out at someone standing too close

Hehe my parents have a Timneh. She was once a sweet bird, but evil bird is a good way to describe her. She hates one of my brothers, to the point that she chases him all over the house..and as for me..i can only hold her when she "wants" me to hold her. (usually involving food). I think shes about the only bird thats ever trully drawn blood from me..and nearly ripped my lip off

Name: WhitacreType of critter: Cat (suspected Bengal mix)Age: 2 years, 8 monthsA bit of a bio: We adopted Whitty and his brother, Ticheli, from the local shelter when they were 5 months old. Their litter had apparently been found in a box at the side of a VERY busy road. Now, Whitacre is the household cuddlebug and our resident drooler. He's our biggest cat (at about 14lbs), though he doesn't really realize it. He is completely a kitten at heart. All he wants out of life is to be close and to please. He usually picks up on tricks first, because he has no shame doing what the people ask. This cat also has a tendency to sleep in weird positions, and not bother to wake up when you move him.Photo:

Name: TicheliType of critter: Cat (suspected Bengal mix)Age: 2 years, 8 monthsA bit of a bio: Ticheli's backstory is the same as Whitty's. As for personality, Ticheli is the evil genius in this house. He knows what he wants, and will find a way to get it. For example, he knows what combination of buttons it takes to turn on my radio in the morning, which he will happily do if he thinks I've overslept too late past his breakfast time. At the same time, though, he's totally a Momma's Boy. He knows both how to drive me crazy and then almost instantly turn me into a puddle of goo. Photo:

Name: Novinha (also called "Novi")Type of critter: Rat, dumbo rexAge: ~2 years, probably a few months olderA bit of a bio: I found Novi in a Craigslist ad. Her previous owner was very well-meaning, but very uninformed about rat care. At the time, I was not planning on bringing home any more rats, but something about Novi's description (there wasn't even a picture in the ad) just stuck with me. I brought her home, changed her name (used to be "Jingles"), got her on a proper diet, and she has just been a complete doll. She's not the brightest crayon in the box (as opposed to most rats, she cannot do even the simple levels of problem-solving), but she makes up for it with pure adoration. There were special forces at work the day I found her.Photo:

Name: TellerType of critter: Sugar Glider, standardAge: 3 yearsA bit of a bio: Teller and Penn (RIP) were my husband's first pair of sugar gliders, back before we were married and he was living in an apartment by himself. Teller has always been very reserved and likes to take his time. I'm not sure I would say he is "shy", though, because he usually doesn't try to hide. Mostly, he likes to watch at a distance, see what the other suggies do, and make his own decisions from there. With us, he's very mellow and will ride on our shoulders without any fuss. I guess you could say that he likes to be involved, though not necessarily participate.Photo:

Name: ElphabaType of critter: Sugar Glider, standardAge: 1 yearA bit of a bio: We got Elphaba and Fiyero to keep Teller company after Penn died. Elphie is our first-ever female sugar glider, and we were amazed at how different she is from the boys. Penn used to be very outgoing and friendly, but he didn't even scratch the surface compared to her. Elphaba is all about "my way or the highway". She's never shown fear of anything, she's an escape artist, and she's always first in line for treats. We have to watch out with her, because she can do anything if she puts her mind to it! And she will sass something fierce! She's the only suggie we've had that will rear up on her hind legs and pitch a hissy fit if she doesn't get her way.Photo:

Name: FiyeroType of critter: Sugar Glider, white-faceAge: 1 yearA bit of a bio: Fiyero is affectionately known as "shy-guy". It doesn't help that he and Elphaba arrived at the same time, and her personality completely dwarfs him. Although he is a bit more fearful than the others, he is very sweet and rarely makes a peep. (Honestly, the only time he makes a fuss is if Elphaba starts it, and usually he sounds so half-hearted about it... like he doesn't know why he's complaining... only that Elphie told him to.) He loves to jump, which is fairly typical for sugar gliders, but he takes it to a new level. He learned to glide the earliest of all our suggies, and despite being so quiet, he has a real need for speed! He loves running in his stealth wheel, so much so that I swear he's broken the sound barrier in it a few times. LOL!!Photo:

Name: Glinda (or "Galinda", depending on her antics that day)Type of critter: Sugar Glider, white faceAge: 6 monthsA bit of a bio: Our breeder actually contacted us about this little girl a few weeks before Christmas, begging us to give her a home for the holidays. Of course, we couldn't say no! So she became my Christmas present. Like Elphaba, she really isn't afraid of anything. However, she isn't nearly as demanding, either. Honestly, she's really kind of a ditz. LOL! We will give her a treat, and sometimes she will just forget to hang on to the wall of the cage and plummet to the floor with her prize. It completely doesn't phase her, though. She can be a bit fussy at times, but not too much. Overall, she's very spunky and personable, even if a little weird.Photo:

Name: TootsType of critter: Cat (unknown origin)Age: ~4 yearsA bit of a bio: Toots is actually my brothers cat, though she's living with us for a little while. She was found in the empty lot next to our family's old house about three days before we moved out of it. She was spayed, declawed, and incredibly friendly. Nobody ever claimed her, so she stayed with my brother. She's a very... weird... cat. She will let my brother do literally ANYTHING to her without a single complaint. However, if somebody else so much as pets her the wrong way she will sometimes squeal and whine as if she was being killed. She has the squeakiest meow I've ever heard in my life, which I find to be hilarious. She has difficulty jumping (I have seen her miss the couch before), and in general, is just not that smart. She absolutely adores my brother, though, and that is what matters.Photo:

Name: Misty
Type of critter: Cat (DMH)
Age: 10
A bit of a bio: Misty is a shelter kitty who we adopted as a kitten. After nearly a decade, she's really coming out of her shell. Once a shy cat who seemed happiest when she was hiding under the couch, Misty is now queen of all squishy surfaces. She still doesn't care much for strangers, but with the family, she is all for being petted and admired. She considers herself "above" the dog (who doesn't understand that the cat doesn't like her), and she's taught Boo that a proper greeting involves waving your paw in the face of the other person. (Boo now "greets" other dogs this way when she wants to play.) Overall, Misty is a great little cat. She has a small comfort group, but if she likes you, she's happy to let you know it.
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Name: Billie
Type of critter: Horse (Appaloosa)
Age: 11
Short Bio: Billie is a fabulous horse with a big personality. A typical appy, she's too smart for her own good, but sometimes I swear she's crossed with a mule. She's a quirky pony who isn't afraid too often (until she decides that something wants to eat her), but she certainly has a mind of her own. She loves to eat, and has learned a handful of tricks in exchange for food. She really is a puppy dog on the ground, though sometimes she loses sight of her 1000 pounds when she places her steel toed foot on your toe and won't budge. She's a silly horse with a heart of gold.
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Especially love see kitties and the older ones... we should start a geriatric kitty club!

It really is, I hear bits and pieces about them around the forum, but thought it would be good to collect them all on one thread

I'd be all for a geriatric kitty club! When I found Nya the first vet I took her to said she was probably about 2-4 years old. Imagine my surprise when my current vet (the one I trust) estimated her to be about (at the time) 10-12! I lost almost ten years of her life in about 5 minutes. We joke around that even though she's our sickly one, she'll live forever while Buddy does something stupid and dies accidentally before he's ever considered a senior. He's a bit dumb sometimes

Those sugar gliders are about the cutest things I've ever seen! I've never actually seen one in person, but I'm officially fascinated now.

And, despite my complete terror of them, there are some seriously beautiful birds spoken for here as well.

My only "other" is Tristan.

Name: Tristan (registered name is actually Tarrou, only because Tristan was taken)
Type of critter: Hanoverian
Age: 13 tomorrow!
A bit of a bio: I bought Tristan about 9.5 years ago, as a three-year old just started horse. I swore to my father he was going to be a great money-making opportunity, that I would keep working him with my trainer for a couple of years until I graduated from college, and then sell him and have a decent chunk of change. The fool fell for it!

He's pretty unfailingly pleasant to handle and extremely clever. I didn't own a dog when I started getting really interested in clicker training, so he was my subject. He can smile, shake hands, bow, stick his tongue out at you, shake his head no, give kisses, fetch a frisbee, spanish walk, yawn...I think that's about his entire trick list. He's mainly my dressage horse, and schools about 2nd level when he's not in the midst of a medical crisis. He also adores jumping, but only gets to do little stuff with me since I'm a wuss. I have some friends who jump him higher for me sometimes since it makes him happy.